This blog will show the realities of living everyday with Lupus. It will not always be pretty but it will always be honest. You have been warned!

What is Lupus?

Lupus is a chronic, autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body (skin, joints, and/or organs inside the body). Chronic means that the signs and symptoms tend to last longer than six weeks and often for many years. In lupus, something goes wrong with your immune system, which is the part of the body that fights off viruses, bacteria, and germs ("foreign invaders," like the flu). Normally our immune system produces proteins called antibodies that protect the body from these invaders. Autoimmune means your immune system cannot tell the difference between these foreign invaders and your body’s healthy tissues ("auto" means "self") and creates autoantibodies that attack and destroy healthy tissue. These autoantibodies cause inflammation, pain, and damage in various parts of the body.
Lupus is also a disease of flares (the symptoms worsen and you feel ill) and remissions (the symptoms improve and you feel better). Lupus can range from mild to life-threatening and should always be treated by a doctor. With good medical care, most people with lupus can lead a full life.
Lupus is not contagious, not even through sexual contact. You cannot "catch" lupus from someone or "give" lupus to someone.
Lupus is not like or related to cancer. Cancer is a condition of malignant, abnormal tissues that grow rapidly and spread into surrounding tissues. Lupus is an autoimmune disease, as described above.
Lupus is not like or related to HIV (Human Immune Deficiency Virus) or AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). In HIV or AIDS the immune system is underactive; in lupus, the immune system is overactive.
Our research estimates that at least 1.5 million Americans have lupus. The actual number may be higher; however, there have been no large-scale studies to show the actual number of people in the U.S. living with lupus.
It is believed that 5 million people throughout the world have a form of lupus.
Lupus strikes mostly women of childbearing age (15-44). However, men, children, and teenagers develop lupus, too.
Women of color are 2-3 times more likely to develop lupus.
People of all races and ethnic groups can develop lupus.
More than 16,000 new cases of lupus are reported annually across the country.
(This information is from the Lupus Foundation of America webpage)

Garage Sale

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Well, we did it, we had our garage sale. We all made under one hundred dollars apiece, but that is quite a bit sold, since most of our items were one dollar or less. That is the good news.

The bad news is that it absolutely wore me out! I mean, plumb tuckered out! I am recuperating as we speak. We are taking the rest of the stuff, well most of it, to the goodwill tomorrow. The rest will go to daughters and she is going to sell it for me. I am glad since I do not think I could do it again anytime soon.

In the meantime, I am going to rest and relax and get more work around the house done. My week is looking to be painful.